– by Julian Sale –
The west coast of BC is a unique and beautiful place. We enjoy mild weather in our rain forest climate. Look around and you’ll see vast shorelines, beautiful mountains, trees galore, big parks, amazing sunsets and the list goes on. Tourists love visiting the west coast, whether from Canada or abroad. Some come for the lakes, some for our world class roads. Some come for the fishing, hiking, sightseeing, and a hundred other reasons. But something that’s relatively new is the eco-tourism market. Further, the Salt Spring Island eco-tourism market.
Salt Spring Island has the highest density of Electric Vehicle owners per capita in Canada. As a result, their local powers that be have initiated incentives for B&B owners to install charging stations for EV drivers. This is great for a couple reasons. First, it lets the rest of the world know that Salt Spring is a great destination on an environmental front, second, it’s super convenient for the EV drivers who want to explore new places, and stay at cozy little cottages with vehicle charging stations available.
Unlike big municipalities, who use government funding to install infrastructure for EV’s, Salt Spring Island has done this largely on their own, mostly with private money. A few key players including a group called Salt Spring Transition are pushing for the “greenification” of Salt Spring. Their tag line: “from oil dependency to local resilience”. I have taken particular interest in Salt Spring lately, as the local residents are such a tight knit community. This reminds me of how Saanichton was in the 1980s. It’s great to see how a local group can mold the future of this island community by actively seeking alternate energy sources like solar, for home and commercial use.
Noteworthy: Salt Spring Island is hosting an electric car show weekend, with events starting Friday night, July 24. Transition is holding a fundraising BBQ at Country Grocer Saturday morning, and there’s an Eco home tour happening on Sunday July 26. Should you visit the island that weekend, be sure to Visit EV displays from Tesla, Motorize Auto direct, Three Point Motors, Victoria Mitsubishi, and others. For more information, visit http://transitionsaltspring.ning.com.
